Intro Download Hidemyass Pro Vpn Software For Free
Hide My Ass! (HMA!) Is a firm, with Its claim to fame has been its massive number of subscribers — it’s over 400 million, today. This supplier has witnessed its fair share of controversy with respect to consumer privacy. It recently made upgrades in the hopes of redeeming itself and winning back the loyalty of its subscribers service to it. Download Hidemyass Pro Vpn Software For Free
We took it For a test run to find out how much it’s improved and whether it is worth the money.
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What Is a VPN?
When you activate a VPN, it generates an encrypted tunnel to Protect your information as it passes from the computer to a server controlled by the VPN. From that point, your data exits onto the internet. It’s a very simple concept, but one with enormous consequences to your privacy and security.
It prevents anyone lurking in your local Network from observation or intercepting your action. While the airport or coffee shop Wi-Fi system appears safe (it might even be password-protected) it is not actually secure unless you are using a VPN. For another thing, a VPN may stop your Internet Service Provider (ISP) from collecting information about your online activities so it could sell anonymized user data to the maximum bidder.
A VPN makes it difficult to correlate your Activities with your own identity. Since your visitors is exiting in the VPN firm’s server, you seem to have its own IP address, effectively concealing your true site. It also forces even the most determined attacker to test and sort through all the traffic from other users on the same VPN server to find what they’re after. For these reasons, and more, you want a VPN in your life.
Note that a VPN encrypts your traffic until it exits through the VPN server. Provided that the website you’re accessing uses HTTPS, your data should be protected all the way along its journey. Additionally, while VPNs can offer a modicum of anonymity, a tool like the Tor system is far better at hiding your identity.
VPNs have long been used by journalists and political activists To circumvent censorship in countries with repressive internet policies. They are also useful if you are looking to circumvent geographic restrictions on streaming content. A VPN can spoof your current place, giving you access to geographically restricted content such as BBC streaming or MLB TV. Some VPNs do not appreciate these activities (which might be in violation of terms of support or even local legislation ) and content providers such as Netflix are also cracking down on users who snore their location and the VPN services they use to do it.
There’s a Fantastic opportunity That you may have never laid hands on a VPN before. If that’s the case, don’t worry! We have got an entire feature on how to set up and use a VPN. Download Hidemyass Pro Vpn Software For Free
VPN Protocols
There are several ways to make a VPN connection. My Preferred method employs the OpenVPN protocol, which is famous for its speed and reliability. Additionally, it is open-source, and therefore has been chosen over for possible vulnerabilities by anyone with the interest to do so.
Hide My Ass uses OpenVPN on Windows, using an older version Of the program that supports PPTP, and L2TP, too. Additionally, there are two different versions of this macOS app which, taken collectively, support IPSec (IKEv1 and v2), L2TP, and PPTP. Be aware that these old versions of the program are being phased out from the programmer. The iOS version uses only IPSec, and the Android app uses just OpenVPN.
That is a bit of a hodgepodge, and I am disappointed that Hide My Ass doesn’t provide OpenVPN on all platforms. That said, a number of the issue is with the platforms. Apple requires programmers to jump through additional hoops if they wish to include OpenVPN within a program, but many are beginning to move in this way. I would like to view Hide My Ass do exactly the same, across the board.
Your Privacy With Hide My Ass
With any safety item, you want to Be Certain that the Business behind it’s going to be operating in your best interests. This is particularly true for VPNs, which are supposed to increase privacy and security. If a VPN company is just as nosey as your ISP, there is not much point in using it.
While I review VPNs, I read the Organization’s privacy policy And talk with representatives in order to better understand how your information is used and stored. In the instance of Hide My Ass, the company should be praised on its clear privacy policy. It says that Hide My Ass logs your own username, the timestamp of connection and disconnection, the amount of data transmitted, your actual IP address, and the IP address of the host you connected to. This isn’t radically different from what is offered by other services. In fact, it’s quite like Golden Frog VyprVPN’s policy.
What is noteworthy is that Hide My Ass Will store this information for two to three months, while VyprVPN stores it for only 30 days. Other providers hold even less info, or they dispose of it immediately. Hide My Ass states that it retains this data for this time period in order to enhance performance, prevent fraud, and prevent bad guys from using the VPN to send spam. The organization, especially, also lists document sharing as one of the illicit activities it requires this information to prevent, regardless of the company being fine by means of BitTorrent on some servers.
It May be possible that this advice could be used To correlate an individual’s identity to particular activity on the internet, but it would likely be very hard. In spite of this information, an observer would have to know which VPN host to watch and then compare this activity against Hide My Ass’s logs, and be able to parse out the target’s visitors from everybody else using the exact same server.
The Hide My Ass privacy policy also clearly states that it Does not monitor or store the actual content of your internet activity. So, the service isn’t looking at your websites or the documents that you are downloading. That’s great, and exactly what you wish to hear by a VPN company.
Before, some VPN companies monetized consumers by Injecting ads into their web traffic. Hide My Ass states that it does not do that, and goes much farther. A business representative explained to me the company doesn’t profit from user data in any way.
The actual place of a VPN company also issues, as it Can notify what protections are afforded to customers. Hide My Ass operates under the jurisdiction of England and Wales, and gets its own company headquarters in London. Especially, the UK at large does have compulsory data retention legislation. That’s not ideal. Many VPN providers function in countries without mandatory data retention laws, or in ones which have positive privacy protections for customers. Download Hidemyass Pro Vpn Software For Free
I don’t believe it is likely to make a decision About the benefits of a company based solely on its place. It is important to understand the policies and laws at work in a company with this kind of intimate access to your own information. I encourage visitors to think about this information, and choose a VPN service by which they may feel comfortable.
Programs and Server Places
A key differentiator between VPN providers is the number of Available servers and their geographical distribution. Lots of servers means you’re more likely to find a server that is not bogged down with other consumers. For its part, Hide My Ass has a very commendable 876 servers at its disposal. That said, TorGuard VPN, Private Internet accessibility, and NordVPN have over 3,000 servers apiece. These are my benchmarks for robustness in the VPN server category.
Geographic distribution of these servers can be very important. A great deal of places means more to pick from for functions that are spoofing, but also ensures that no matter where you travel there will likely be a server for your best performance. Hide My Ass has an extremely impressive 286 server locations across some 220 nations. It is easily the list one of the VPN services I have reviewed.
The list of server places that were accessible offered by Hide My Ass is especially noteworthy since it covers regions often ignored by VPN businesses. It’s, as an example, numerous server locations across the continent of Africa–a rarity among VPN companies. Additionally, it maintains servers in China, Russia, and Turkey, that have internet policies that are repressive.
Some consumers might be concerned about a VPN company’s Use of virtual servers. These are software-defined servers which produce servers that are many are efficiently operated as by a single physical server. Virtual servers can also be configured to behave as though they are in one country when they are in a different, which is an issue if you are concerned about where your information is traveling.
A company representative told me this a complete 225 of the 286 server places are all servers. Only 61 of the host places are hardware, and 450 of Hide My Ass’s 876 servers are all virtual. That is far beyond services. NordVPN, Private Internet accessibility, TunnelBear, IPVanish, and TorGuard use physical infrastructure to get their host locations.
A company representative explained to me that bulk of the Company’s physical server infrastructure is located in Amsterdam, Frankfurt, London, Miami, New York, Prague, Seattle, and Singapore. This doesn’t quite jibe with what Hide My Ass lists on its own site. I’d like to see future versions of Hide My Ass be clearer about when you are connected to a virtual server.
Setup and interface
Getting Started with Hide My Ass! Is super easy and the updated programs are extremely user-friendly. You’ll be given a license key, As soon as you sign up for your own account. You can use this or your credentials (username and password) to log into almost any program. With the aim of this review, we have tested the Windows client and the iOS program. Download Hidemyass Pro Vpn Software For Free
Desktop
Once you’ve Logged in and Established the desktop client, you will be greeted with the Success! screen. Click Got It! To get the main screen of this app. Here you have three choices for modes: Location Mode, Instant Mode, and Freedom Mode.
In Instant Mode, you can click the arrow And you’ll be linked to the server for your site.
In Location mode, you can choose which You connect to. Click on Change Location to see your options. There is a drop-down list which allows you to choose servers based on different criteria. All will show you an alphabetized country listing. Clicking the arrow will show you specific locations within this nation.
Speedy Access shows you a list Recently linked to, in addition to some options that were recommended. Streaming will provide you a selection of two servers acceptable for unblocking popular streaming services such as Netflix, one at the united states and one in the united kingdom.
Peer to Peer shows You all servers that allow filesharing. Ultimately, there’s the Favorites option; to mark a server as a favorite, the heart can click .
Going back To the main screen, the one alternative here’s Freedom Mode, that is targeted at users who want to bypass censorship. This mode will connect you to a host in the closest state that is regarded as free from censorship.
You can Get into the Settings by clicking the menu icon in the upper left corner of the main screen and selecting Preferences. Here, you will see three tabs: General and Kill Switch. From the Generalscreen, you may change your startup options, like beginning when you turn your pc on or when the program launches.
You also Have a Personal Privacy department housing one option that relates to Quick Access in Location Mode. You can uncheck the box if you would like to conceal your history.
Next, We’ve got the Network Security screen in which you may choose settings for wifi protection that is automatic. It is also possible to turn on the IP shuffle feature which makes it harder for someone to find where you are by periodically changing your IP address. One option in this screen lets you use TCP using OpenVPN. This is only recommended if UDP is blocked or throttled. TCP is more stable, but UDP is typically faster.
The Last tab is the Switch tab, so that it works for all applications, where you can toggle on this attribute. You decide whether or not to use it and could add single software.
This Is a app that is robust and it both visually pleasing and searchable.
Mobile
Many Suppliers will have a mobile program that’s unrecognizable compared to the desktop version. But, HMA! Has streamlined its product, and the iOS app looks almost like the Windows version.
As Soon as You’re You’ll get to the display, which is exactly like the primary display in the program. Here you can choose from Location Mode, Instant Mode, or Freedom Mode.
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The Only real difference is that when you select Location Mode, your choices are presented in another manner. You have three tabs: Countries, Cities, and Favorites, but missing are the options found from the client, such as Streaming, Peer to Peer, and Quick Access.
To Access the streaming servers in the program, you’ll need to visit the Cities list and locate the Liberty Island server under US, New York. Even the UK, Donkey Town server can also be found on this list for access to BBC iPlayer and UK Netflix.
Moving on, The settings for the app can be accessed by clicking the menu icon and select Settings. There you have two choices: solitude and Link Rules.
In The Link Rules segment, you can correct wifi security preferences and choose whether to auto reconnect when wifi or cellular connections are interrupted.
The privacy department has One alternative: Share utilization data with third parties for analytics, which is your consent to”enable app and apparatus usage data to be shared with third parties for analytics.” Bear in mind that this is enabled by default so it may be one of the things you want to turn off.
Overall, This is a slick and intuitive app, but some users might be missing extra features like a kill switch and the option to change protocols.
Servers and functionality
The Hide My Ass! Network comprises more than 850 servers. A number of these are virtual servers, but a customer service representative was unable to inform us how many. Download Hidemyass Pro Vpn Software For Free
As we Discussed earlier, HMA offers several options for selecting the right server, such as distinct styles and the ability to mark servers as favorites. Are indicated with a P2P symbol.
We tested Numerous servers in the UK and the usa for performance in terms of surfing, streaming, and downloading. When surfing, there were no significant issues, aside from there being a noticeable lag in page load times when connected to a UK server. This isn’t unusual for distant remote servers (the evaluations were carried out in Toronto, Canada), but could be frustrating, particularly for users who have slow net rates.
We did not See any lag or streaming while streaming 1080p with any of the test servers and could play online games without any issues.
HideMyAss! and Netflix
Hide My Ass! unblocks Netflix! But don’t expect to simply connect to some Server and go. When we tested servers with US Netflix using the desktop client, we had no luck at all. But if you select the Streaming option from the dropdown within Location Mode, you will see two options: a US server (USA, New York, Liberty Island) and a UK server (UK, Donkey Town). Note that in the program, you will have to obtain these within the Cities listing in Location Mode.
Connecting To Netflix server gave us access Into the US without issue. Linking to the UK one allowed entry to BBC iPlayer as well as UK Netflix. Many providers only focus on supplying US Netflix accessibility, so it’s refreshing to see one that strives to give entry to the UK library too. What is more, BBC iPlayer is breaking down on VPN usage, so the ability to unblock this service is a nice perk.
If you’re Looking for Amazon Prime Video, you may need to go everywhere. HMA! Is having trouble unblocking this support at a customer care representative and this time advised us that there is no estimated time for when it may be functioning.
HideMyAss! in China?
Hide My Ass! Doesn’t work reliably in China. It used to, but HMA! Responses in support forums have suggested that the service will work for some users. You can try your fortune, but if you need a trusted China VPN, you’d best look elsewhere.
HideMyAss! Speed test performance
For any VPN That is compatible with our evaluation procedures, we run. We use a Canadian evaluation server to connect to VPN servers in the UK, the Usa, Australia, Hong Kong, and Germany. For every place, we download an evaluation file (50MB in size) in the US server. This can be done four times per day. The typical download rate for every test is recorded and the aggregate data is displayed.
You can view From the Simple graph below HMA! Compares to another VPN services we’ve been analyzing. While it doesn’t have the fastest speeds, it is near the front of the pack when it comes to download rates.
By clicking on the Detailed tab, you can see that the spread in outcomes isn’t as tight as a number of the additional evaluation VPNs. This usually means in regards to speeds you may observe some inconsistency.
It’s Important to note that these tests aren’t definitive and can only function as a general indication of the performance you might see. The volatility of the web adds a variable of randomness. What is more, you’ll probably see longer wait times with a slow link, and smaller or bigger discrepancies. Download Hidemyass Pro Vpn Software For Free
Customer service
For those who need Any aid whilst setting up or using the support, HMA! Has a couple of options for you. Clicking the Help tab on the website, you’ll find a Knowledge Base and a Getting Started section. These each home posts related to setting up questions. So before seeking other options you may want to research both there’s a crossover.
In addition, You’ll find a Community button which leads to a discussion section. This can be segregated into various topics; some seem to be out of date, while some are active. Under that, there are some FAQs.
If you do not Find what you’re looking for, or you just want a quick reply, you can click the live chat button at the base right-hand corner of the screen. The service is knowledgeable and prompt, and representatives were able to resolve. At one point, a representative was unable to answer some security questions and advised he would escalate the issue. This was responded to in under 2 hours which is quite quick for an email response.
Safety and privacy
Hide My Ass! Is based in the UK, so it is subject to data retention laws. The UK can be a Five Eyes (and Fourteen Eyes) country, so it is part of an alliance that allows tracking by external governments. Plus, it’s home to the Charter which imposes regulations of the Snooper.
For many VPNs, data retention laws in their home country are not really a problem. This is because they operate using a real policy that is no-logs whereby they do not keep any visitors or connection logs. They can’t be tied to a single user, even when they do maintain connection logs.
Regrettably, HMA! Is not among these VPNs and has a privacy policy that users will discover off-putting. For one, when utilizing the support, you can anticipate that your IP address will be logged, together with timestamps and the number of information used. This is a big no-no for VPNs in general. The truth is that information can and has been used to track the action of people, although an IP address is not universally considered to be personally identifiable information. IP addresses have been used to help find and convict offenders. We’re pro-privacy while we do not condone activities, and this policy doesn’t cut it. Download Hidemyass Pro Vpn Software For Free
Additionally, Hide My Ass! Telephones the VPN IP address Attached to a session. This is the IP address when you see it, that a site operator can view and document. It might be possible to piece together all of a user’s internet activity since both the real and VPN IP addresses are logged, involving the end and VPN site logs. You might have seen news of a 2011 FBI case involving HMA! In which it handed over logs which were utilized to track down a hacker. Clearly, this is a black marker for privacy.
1 way to Make this less of a problem and to possibly confuse matters a little would be to make the most of the IP address shuffle feature. When enabled in the Network Security screen of the app, your IP address is occasionally switched by this out. It wouldn’t make you untraceable but may add a layer of obfuscation.
Privacy Issues aside, on the security front, Hide My Ass! Fares well. It utilizes. This is in combination with RSA keys and perfect forward secrecy. It uses exactly the OpenVPN protocol UDP by default, but you can change to TCP inside the desktop client. PPTP, L2TP, IPSec are available, depending on what app you are using.
The background versions boast a built-in kill switch which can be tailored To work for specific apps. The connection will be killed by A kill button if the VPN link drop for some reason. This attribute is not available from the mobile apps
A live chat Customer service representative informed us that there’s no DNS leak protection. But another company representative promised us that there is in fact DNS and IPv6 leak security, but no WebRTC leak security. Indeed, when the service was tested by us for escapes, we didn’t see any DNS leak problems aside from WebRTC leaks. HMA! Whereas ones would be preferable from a privacy standpoint, Does utilize DNS servers that are public.
1 handy Feature that Hide My Ass! Provides is wifi protection, which is customized in the in the Network Security section of the desktop or the mobile app’s Connection Rules tab configurations.
Features and pricing
Hide My Ass! Provides one merchandise with prices varying depending on the length of term you sign up for. It’s definitely not one of the least expensive providers available. A 12-month planwill set you back $6.99 per month, which is greater than the average cost for a similar term. What’s more, a lot of VPN providers that are top will supply an plan; for example, a two- or three-year term with steeper discounts. Download Hidemyass Pro Vpn Software For Free
If You’re not prepared to sign up only yet, HMA! Does provide a six-month plan for $7.99 per month or you can pay on a monthly basis for $11.99 per month. These prices are a bit above average when you compare to competitors.
Payment Options include PayPal credit cards, and UnionPay. Regrettably bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies are not viable payment procedures. There’s a money-back guarantee, so you can have your payment deducted if you’re not fully satisfied with the service.
So what do You get for your money? Hide My Ass! Has a network of more than 850 servers in over 180 countries. Some are devoted to accessing streaming websites and specific servers allow P2P filesharing (read: torrenting). All plans come with unlimited bandwidth and you can connect up to five devices. Programs are available for Windows, MacOS, iOS, and Android. The VPN can be manually configured with Linux and some routers. Pre-configured routers can be found as an alternate.
From a Security perspective, HMA! Offers perfect forward secrecy encryption wifi protection, and the desktop programs come with a kill switch. On the other hand, the coverage issues that plagued the service stay, so privacy remains a problem.
Summary
For the most part, HMA! Offers a support that is great. It’s a decent community of servers, unlimited bandwidth, and fast speeds. It’s able to unblock popular services such as BBC iPlayer, Netflix UK, and Netflix US. Plus, it offers intuitive programs , powerful security, and superb customer support.
On the Surface, it feels like HMA! Would be a good alternative for torrenters, without a information Caps and some servers suitable for P2P. The issues with the solitude Policy are any other, in addition to an issue for those looking to torrent privacy-conscious users. Really, this is the important turn-off for this Provider, but it’s a large one. Other issues include the inability to work Reliably in the price tag and China. Download Hidemyass Pro Vpn Software For Free
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